] Hemp (cannabis sativa) fibers were once used extensively for ropes, hammocks, and cables. They resist water better than any other natural vegetable fiber. Today, hemp fiber has been largely replaced by synthetic fibers (still another way for the petrochemical industries to profit). As a control measure within the US, legislation prohibits the possession of the hemp plant or any of its products, except for hemp seed and hemp oil. Close relatives of the cannabis sativa or Indian hemp (marijuana) strain are abaca, or Manila hemp, which is used for making cordage, hats, hammocks, and curtain fabrics. Other relatives, Sisal, used in the manufacture of cordage, summer rugs and brushes, and Sunn, which is made into stout twine, rope, rug yarns, coarse cloth, and paper are beneficial to mankind. [2] [5] ABUSE: The underlying reason that people decide to use marijuana is always the same: because they want to feel different. Milder than some drugs or not, it is a drug: it changes the way that the user thinks, feels and behaves. Marijuana changes the way that the brain functions - and that is always dangerous. [6] [1] The World Almanac and Book of Facts: 1992 [2] Academic American Encyclopedia [3] The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs: Marijuana [4] The Marijuana Conviction [5] The Emperor Wears No Clothes [6] Focus On Marijuana "I like the way it made me feel older." "It made me feel like I had a lot of friends." "If you have a lot of problems, you forget them." "It was fun. I laughed a lot." These statements were made by junior high and high school students, ranging in age from 12 to 14. Believing these statements is an example of how children are sometimes setting themselves up for further, continuing drug abuse. They might also be setting themselves up for a dim future of problems with the law and society in general. Drugs like marijuana have found their way into even the elementary schools, these days. [1] "Traditionally, the term drug abu...
